How do I request a record by mail under the Oklahoma Open Records Act?
Records Custodian
Completethis formand mail to:
Tulsa Police Records
P.O. Box 1027
Tulsa, OK 74103
For questions or concerns call (918) 596-9286.
The Records Section of the Information and Technical Services Division operates under procedures that are in compliance with Title 51 of the Oklahoma State Statutes, Subsection 24, also known as the Oklahoma Open Records Act. This statute details which records law enforcement agencies shall make available for public inspection if kept. Mayor's Executive Order 95-04, issued by Mayor Susan Savage, states that all departments within the City of Tulsa will comply with the Oklahoma Open Records Act.
In relation to records other than video, the Open Records Act states, in part, that law enforcement agencies shall make available:
An arrestee description, including the name, date of birth, address, race, sex, physical description, and occupation of the arrestee;
Facts concerning the arrest, including the cause of arrest and the name of the arresting officer;
Conviction information, including the name of any person convicted of a criminal offense;
Disposition of all warrants, including orders signed by a judge of any court commanding a law enforcement officer to arrest a particular person;
A chronological list of incidents, including initial offense report information showing the offense, date, time, general location, officer, and a brief summary of what occurred;
A crime summary, including a departmental summary of crimes reported and public calls for service by classification or nature and number;
Radio logs, including a chronological listing of the calls, dispatched; and
Jail registers, including jail blotter data or jail booking information recorded on persons at the time of incarceration showing the name of each prisoner with the date and cause of his commitment, the authority committing him, whether committed for a criminal offense, a description of his person, and the date or manner of his discharge or escape.
Audio and video recordings from recording equipment attached to law enforcement vehicles or associated audio recordings from recording equipment on the person of a law enforcement officer; provided, the law enforcement agency may, before releasing any audio or video recording provided for in this paragraph, redact or obscure specific portions of the recording…
Audio and video recordings from recording equipment attached to the person of a law enforcement officer [that depict certain types of events which also may include redactions as stated in the Open Records Act].
The Oklahoma Open Records Actalso states, in paragraph B(1) of Subsection 24A.8:
"Except for the records listed in subsection A (above) of this section and those made open by other state or local laws, law enforcement agencies may deny access to law enforcement records except where a court finds that the public interest or the interest of an individual outweighs the reason for denial." Further, the ORA states in paragraph C that, “Nothing contained in this section imposes any new recordkeeping requirements.” As such, if a requested record does not already exist, the Records Section does not create a new record to comply with the request and will notify you that no such record exists.
Mayor's Executive Order 95-4 states: "Record production requests must be precise enough to identify with reasonable certainty exactly what document is requested. Generalized or blanket requests will not be honored."
Arrestee information and facts concerning the arrest can be found on the Arrest and Booking Data Sheet. In order to obtain this record, the requestor must provide the name of the individual arrested and the approximate date of arrest (within a few days of the actual date of arrest).
The Records Section does not typically maintain conviction information. The most up-to-date and accurate source for conviction information is the court of record. In Tulsa County conviction information for state felonies and misdemeanors can be obtained from the Tulsa County District Court Clerks' Office or by going to the court record online at https://www.oscn.net/dockets/. Conviction information on municipal misdemeanors can be obtained from the City of Tulsa Municipal Court Clerk's Office.
The disposition of warrants can be obtained through the court issuing the warrant. Copies of outstanding warrants can be obtained through the Records Section, however, because they are on file in a physically separate location, processing requests for these records can take longer than other record.
A chronological list of incidents does not exist in written form. Generalized requests for data, such as the number of drunk driving arrests, the number of accidents at an intersection, or the number of burglaries in a geographic area can only be obtained by running a search of the computer database. Requests of this nature should be directed in writing to the Chief of Police. The requestor will have to pay a research fee to obtain this information.
The department prepares a monthly report listing a summary of crimes reported by crime type. This report also contains summary information about the number of people arrested by crime type. This information can be obtained from the Records Section.
Radio logs are maintained by Public Safety Communications, a separate department within the City of Tulsa.
The Records Section maintains a copy of the jail blotter for thirty (30) days. Older copies of the jail blotter can be obtained from the City of Tulsa Municipal Court Clerks Office.
FEES
The fees charged for report copies are authorized by either the Oklahoma Open Records Act, the Mayor's Executive Order, or City Ordinance. City ordinance 19224 authorizes the Tulsa Police Department to charge a fee of $3.00 for a copy of a police record of ten pages or less. It also authorizes a fee of $1.00 a page for each page over ten pages. This city ordinance states that an individual identified as the victim of a criminal offense in the police record, or a pedestrian, an occupant, or an owner whose property was directly involved in a traffic collision report may receive one free copy. The Mayors Executive Order lists fees for documents not listed specifically on the ordinance. This fee is $0.25 per page for a copy. Other charges are authorized by the Mayor which are the costs to reproduce items such as pictures, videotapes, or computer programs.
JUVENILE INFORMATION
Title 10A Article 1 Chapter 6 & Article 2 Chapter 6 of the Oklahoma State Statutes is known as the Oklahoma Juvenile Code. Paragraph A states: "Except as provided by this section or as otherwise specifically provided by state or federal laws, the following juvenile records are confidential and shall not be open to the general public, inspected, or their contents disclosed." The list of confidential records includes law enforcement records. Therefore, the Records Section is unable to release any record on a juvenile, including arrest records or reports in which the victim was a juvenile. These records cannot be released to the juvenile or his parents or guardian. Title 10 does specifically state that records of traffic violations are not considered confidential.
All standard criminal or civil subpoenas for testimony can be emailed to the Tulsa Police Department Chief’s Office at TPDChief@cityoftulsa.org.
All subpoenas for records (subpoena duces tecum) must be hand delivered or sent certified mail, restricted delivery, to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall (175 E 2nd St. / 918-596-7313).
*Any subpoena delivered to the Chief’s Office requesting records will be denied. Any subpoena duces tecum requesting testimony from a TPD employee will be denied.
The department does have the right to contest a subpoena. After a subpoena has been reviewed and approved, it will be forwarded to a clerk who will obtain the subpoenaed materials. The clerk will then contact the individual requesting the subpoenaed materials and advise the requestor of the cost of the records.
For more detailed information, please refer to our guide to obtaining documents and testimony from the Tulsa Police Department.
For additional information on City Open Records, see the City’s main website at https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/departments/finance/public-records/.
